Tweaking theories of physics

6:49 PM,
Nov. 18, 2012

christopher sirola

Written by

Christopher Sirola

As readers of this column know, I used to be a big comics collector. While I don't do much of that anymore, I enjoy most of the superhero movies. Many of the characters have been around for a while. Spider-Man will be celebrating his 50th anniversary next year. Batman, Superman and Captain America predate World War II.

But that makes a problem for their publishers. Spider-Man started off as a teenager. Fifty years later, he's a young adult. To keep selling comics, the characters aren't allowed to age at the same rate as you or I.

How, then, do comic companies keep their characters fresh? Every once ...